Delhi Begins Deregistering 10-Year-Old Diesel Vehicles

The move has come in to tackle the rise in air pollution levels in the country’s capital

The national capital region has been choking, thanks to dangerous levels of air pollution. Many initiatives – such as the odd-even scheme and diesel-ban – were taken to rein the situation in, but the overall air quality has barely budged from its perilously high readings. Amidst all this, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) passed a resolution to ban 10-year-old diesel vehicles on the roads of Delhi-NCR. While this was shared back in April 2015 and was only on paper, it was widely believed that the government was working on a scheme for incentivised scrapping of the vehicles before the process of deregisteration began.

In what may come as a shock to people across the capital, RTOs across Delhi and NCR have now started deregistering diesel-powered vehicles that are 10 years or older. This is applicable to all private and commercial vehicles registered in the Delhi-NCR region, including heavy load vehicles such as trucks and buses. Imported and vintage diesel-powered cars that are 10 years or older will also fall in this category.

Although a welcome move to improve the air quality index in the country’s capital region, the sudden push for implementation can lead to resistance from citizens. The transition would have been easier if the government had gradually phased out old vehicles instead, while also providing public options of what can be done for illegal vehicles - possibly scrapping them for an incentive from the government for a new vehicle. It remains unclear whether the owners of such vehicles will be allowed to sell them to prospective customers outside Delhi-NCR. The vehicles in question are bound to face a steeper decline in their resale value, and selling them is expected to be a tricky affair.